Brooklyn Unplugged At Franklin Park

If your'e looking for something to do tonight, look no further! Tonight is Brooklyn Unplugged at Franklin Park with Laura Bowman, Niki Darling, and Mieka Pauley. That's right! An all-woman line-up that is sure to kick some serious ass.

One-Third of a Nation

One-Third of a Nation is a play by Arthur Arent; or more correctly a living newspaper created in 1938 by the Federal Theater Project. I've had the good fortune of seeing this play twice in recent weeks at the Metropolitan Playhouse in New York City. It's been a very healthy reminder in how we dealt with the last major collapse of Capitalism here in this country.

The title comes from FDR's second inaugural address in January of 1937 where he said:

I see one-third of a nation ill-housed, ill-clad, ill-nourished.

But it is not in despair that I paint you that picture. I paint it for you in hope—because the nation, seeing and understanding the injustice in it, proposes to paint it out. We are determined to make every American citizen the subject of his country’s interest and concern; and we will never regard any faithful law-abiding group within our borders as superfluous. The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.

This was through the Federal Theatre Project (FTP), which was established in 1935 with a key stipulation that 90% of its appropriations go to wages. The project gave such luminaries as Susan Glaspell, Elmer Rice, Orson Welles, John Houseman, Arthur Miller, Martin Ritt, Marc Blitzstein, and Elia Kazan, work enacting traditional dramas, re-interpreting classics, and creating new works for the Depression Era stage.

Despite its Federal funding, the Living Newspaper remained controversial from the beginning. Its first production, Ethiopia(1936), drew criticism from the State Department for its portrayal of foreign leaders and was canceled by the WPA before it was staged. All of the plays produced set out to be at least as potentially controversial. Ultimately the FTP lost its Congressional funding.

Defending the program to the House Special Committee to Investigate Un-American Activities in 1938, director Flanagan painted an idealistic portrait of what she called "propaganda for democracy". She wrote:

These Living Newspapers report the struggle of the modern man to understand the forces all about him; agriculture, power, law, housing, social disease, medicine."

By 1939 the FTP would be history. If you happen to be in New York City between now and May 22, 2011, you can catch this gem of history at the Metropolitan Playhouse. Click here for more information. The play reminds as timely as ever.

One-Third of a Nation

One~Third of a Nation by Arthur Arent should be required viewing. New Yorkers, new and old, will love this wonderful play that really delves into the hows and whys of how the real estate market in New York got so out of whack: Why we spend so much on so little! The cast is simply amazing. They had real chemistry that definitely helped them get past a few stumbles in lines and movement. They were able to just keep going and it all worked beautifully. My biggest disappointment of the evening was simply that the Metropolitan Playhouse wasn't packed. This was an immensely enjoyable play. You don't want to miss this little gem of history.

It's playing now through May 22 at the Metropolitan Playhouse.





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Songcircle at the Astor Room this Friday!

The amazing and talented Mieka Pauley and other great singer songwriters at the Astor Room this Friday. The reception starts at 6, music begins at 8. You don't want to miss this.

Elik: "Snake Bite"

You'll want to mark your calendars for this. The coolest gallery in Brooklyn, Brooklynite Gallery, is having an opening with the legendary street artist Elik. You won't want to miss this: Saturday, May 7th, from 7 to 10pm at Brooklynite Gallery.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:E 58th St,,United States